by Ruta Sepetys
RESEARCH AND SOURCES
The research process for this novel was a global, collaborative effort that spanned eight years. That said, any errors found herein are my own.
My Spanish publisher, Maeva, connected me with people, places, and experiences to bring this story to life. Laura Russo simply went above and beyond. I am forever grateful to Maite Cuadros, Mathilde Sommeregger, Eva Cuadros, Rocio de Isasa, Sara Fernandez, Montse Vintró, and the entire Maeva and SGEL team.
Translator and screenwriter Marta Armengol Royo in Barcelona is often my interpreter for events in Spain. Marta served as a consultant and partner for this project, read multiple drafts, passionately guided my efforts and research, and gently corrected my terrible Spanish. My longtime friend Claus Pedersen is a teacher of history and Spanish in Denmark. Claus worked with me for years, helped me find research materials, advised on many topics, and provided much-needed encouragement. Dr. Almudena Cros is a history professor in Madrid and helped plan and complete my research. Almudena accompanied me for many long days in Spain and for years after, exploring history and the myriad emotions it brings with it. Jon Galdos devoted much time and patience guiding me through Bilbao, Guernica, Getaria, Hendaye, Irún, San Sebastián, and the stunning Basque countryside.
Professor Soledad Luque Delgado is the president of the organization Todos los niños robados son también mis niños, which she formed to mobilize and educate people about the disappearance of children during the Franco dictatorship and in subsequent transition years. Soledad believes her twin brother was stolen and has spent many years speaking on the topic and tirelessly advocating for others. Soledad spent time with me in Madrid and was an enormous help with my research.
Ángel Casero, president of the organization Adelante Niños Robados, met with me and explained the history behind the thefts of children, the adoptions, as well as the treatment of women during the time period. Ángel’s baby brother disappeared from a medical facility in the sixties and his older brothers were shown the frozen corpse of a child, purported to be their deceased sibling.
Soledad and Ángel invited me to attend a panel presentation and meeting in Madrid devoted to stolen children. The sweltering room was over capacity with attendees. The stories shared were both heartbreaking—such as quests for true identity—and horrific—an exhumed coffin of an infant that did not contain the remains of a child, but instead held the bones of an adult arm. I’m grateful to all of the attendees who shared their personal stories, photos, and hopes for the future. You are constantly on my mind.
During my research I discovered Carlos Giménez’s award-winning graphic memoir Paracuellos: Children of the Defeated in Franco’s Fascist Spain. The heartbreaking stories tinged with humor depicted in the art made a profound impression and informed the characters and journey of Rafa and Fuga.
Father Fernando Cerracedo, a priest in Vallecas for over forty years, generously shared both heart and historical detail of the district that helped me bring the beauty of Vallecas to the story and those in it.
Dr. José Ignacio de Arana served as a physician at the Inclusa in Madrid for over forty years. He explained the structure and daily workings of the Inclusa, which underscored the love and dedication that most doctors and staff had for the children at the orphanage.
Mariluz Antolín and Elena Nieto welcomed me for extended stays at the InterContinental in Madrid, formerly the Castellana Hilton. Mariluz shared archival materials, provided space for research meetings, and allowed me to explore every last corner of the hotel during my stay to create Ana’s and Daniel’s world depicted in the book.
Antonio López Fuentes, master tailor at Fermín in Madrid, answered my endless questions and allowed me to spend time in the shop with his team to explore the creation and traditions surrounding a suit of lights.
Eduardo Fernández and his father, Antonio Fernández, generously shared their family’s story and memories with me. Antonio survived Asilo Durán, a “home” for boys in Barcelona, and became a waiter at the Castellana Hilton.
Efraín Royo Lascorz patiently recounted details and memories of working at the slaughterhouse, contributing information and dimension to the character of Rafa.
Special thanks to Adelaida Caro at the National Library of Spain who welcomed me and assisted me with research.
Javier Pagola and the staff at Lhardy made each research visit magical.
I am very grateful to curator Luis Alberto Pérez Velarde and Blanca Pons-Sorolla Ruiz de la Prada at the Sorolla Museum for their continued help, generosity, and patience with my frequent visits.
J. Edgar Williams was consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid between 1956–1960 and worked with U.S. Ambassador John Lodge. Mr. Williams answered my many questions about foreign relations and shared his memories of Spain during the time period.
Mr. Pierce Allman, former journalist and a lifelong resident of Highland Park in Dallas, shared information that helped me build and understand the character of Daniel Matheson.
Writer and journalist Karen Blumenthal directed and connected me to many resources and toured me around Preston Hollow so I could conceptualize Daniel’s home.
While writing and researching, I returned constantly to reference the invaluable works of Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, Paul Preston, Helen Graham, Adam Hochschild, Neil M. Rosendorf, Ángela Cenarro, Larry Collins, and Dominique Lapierre.
I also thank the following for their generous assistance and inspiration:
Anadir, The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, American Foreign Service Association, The Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory, Mary Ann Campbell, the City of Vallecas, Niki Coffman, Corral de la Moreria, D Magazine, The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Hilda Farfante, The Foreign Service Journal Archives, The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia, The Hockaday School, The Hospitality Industry Archives at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management at the University of Houston, International Center of Photography, Juan de Isasa, The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, La Venencia, La Violeta, Lucía Lijtmaer, Low Media, Magnum Photos, Andrew Maraniss, Gerard Solé Martinez, The Meadows Museum at SMU, The National Archives in Washington, D.C., National Geographic, Dr. Ann Neely, The New York Times, the Ordóñez family, Manuel Benítez Pérez, The Prado Museum, Restaurante Botín, The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, Sim Smiley, S.O.S. de Bebés Robados, St. Mark’s School of Texas, Steve Norris-Tari, Carol Stoltz, Taberna de Antonio Sánchez, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library Archives, Dr. Mark E. Young, Patty Young.
The Fountains of Silence was built with bricks from the following books, academic papers, articles, films, and resources:
An American Diplomat in Franco Spain by Michael Aaron Rockland
El año que tú naciste: 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960
Aquel Madrid que se nos fue . . . 1957–1967 by Antonio Alcoba López
The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation by Mark Kurlansky
Be My Guest by Conrad Hilton
Big D: Triumphs and Troubles of an American Supercity in the 20th Century by Darwin Payne
The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes by Bryan Burrough
Castellana Magazine: Castellana Hilton Hotel Monthly, 1957–1959
Child of Our Time by Michel del Castillo
Colores del toreo by Paco Delgado
Dances and Cooking Specialties of Spain by the American Women’s Club of Madrid
The Dangerous Summer by Ernest Hemingway
Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway
The Death of Manolete by Barnaby Conrad
Exhuming Loss: Memory, Materiality and Mass Graves of the Spanish Civil War by Layla Renshaw
“Facing up to Franco: Spain 40 Years On” by Tobias Buck, Financial Times
; “Families of Spain’s ‘Stolen Babies’ Seek Answers—And Reunions” by Sylvia Poggioli, Morning Edition, NPR, December 14, 2012
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Franco by Paul Preston
“Francoist Crimes: Denial and Invisibility, 1936–2017” by Jorge Marco
“The Francoist Repression in the Catalan Countries” by Conxita Mir y Curcó
Franco Sells Spain to America: Hollywood, Tourism and Public Relations as Postwar Spanish Soft Power by Neal M. Rosendorf
Franco’s Forgotten Children, documentary film directed by Montse Armengou and Ricard Belis, TV3
Freedom and Catholic Power in Spain and Portugal: An American Interpretation by Paul Blanshard
From Bullfights to Bikinis: Tourism and Spain’s Transition to Modernity Under the Franco Regime by Alexandra Lawrence
Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past by Giles Tremlett
Give Me Back My Child!, documentary film directed by Montse Armengou and Ricard Belis, TV3
Guide Museo Sorolla
“Haute Couture, High Fashion in the 50s” by Dr. Mercedes Pasalodos Salgado
Hidden Madrid by Mark Besas and Peter Besas
The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty by J. Randy Taraborrelli
Iberia by James A. Michener
La inclusa que yo viví: 1945–1990 by Dr. Javier Matos Aguilar
Interrogating Francoism: History and Dictatorship in Twentieth-Century Spain edited by Helen Graham
Lavapiés y el rastro by Carlos Osorio
“LIFE Goes to a Fancy Madrid Hotel Opening, U.S. Guests Launch Hilton’s Latest,” LIFE, August 3, 1953
“Lorca’s Bones: Can Spain Finally Confront Its Civil War Past?” by Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker
Madrid a pie de calle: fotografías de Manuel Urech by Miguel Á. Urech Ribera
“Memories of Repression and Resistance: Narratives of Children Institutionalized by Auxilio Social in Postwar Spain” by Ángela Cenarro
The Mexican Suitcase, documentary film directed by Trisha Ziff
Nada by Carmen Laforet
National Geographic Live! photography interview series
Never in Doubt: A History of the Delta Drilling Company by James Presley
New Guide to the Prado Gallery, 1957
Niños robados by María José Esteso Poves
“El niño y los pediatras en la Guerra Civil Española,” Cuadernos de Historia de la Pediatría Española, No. 10
Nos encargamos de todo: Robo y tráfico de niños en España by Francisco González de Tena
Nosotros, los niños de los años 50 by Margarita Gómez Borrás and Lucía Molina Zamora
Of Hearts and Mind: The Hockaday Experience, 1913–1988 edited by Camille R. Kraeplin
The Oral History Reader: Spain 1931–1995, Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection, Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, Arlington, VA; www.adst.org
Or I’ll Dress You in Mourning by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre
Paracuellos: Children of the Defeated in Franco’s Fascist Spain by Carlos Giménez
“Petroleum in the Spanish Iberian Peninsula” by Octavio Puche Riart, Luis F. Mazadiego Martínez, and José E. Ortiz Menéndez
Practical Guide for the Diplomatic Corps Accredited in Spain
The Prado Guide: Museo Nacional Del Prado
Proof: The Photographers on Photography, National Geographic series
A Saga of Wealth: The Rise of the Texas Oilmen by James Presley
St. Mark’s School of Texas: The First 100 Years by William R. Simon
La Sección Femenina by Luis Otero
“La Sección Femenina: Women’s Role in Francoist Spain” by Lara Pugh
The Silence of Others, documentary film by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar
Silk Hats and No Breakfast: Notes on a Spanish Journey by Honor Tracy
The Sleeping Voice by Dulce Chacón
Slightly out of Focus by Robert Capa
Social Register of Dallas, 1953
The Society of Timid Souls: or, How To Be Brave by Polly Morland
Spain and the United States: Since World War II by R. Richard Rubottom and J. Carter Murphy
“Spain Confronts Decades of Pain Over Lost Babies” by Raphael Minder, The New York Times, July 6, 2011
Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939 by Adam Hochschild
Spain in Your Pocket by Peggy Donovan
The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction by Helen Graham
The Spanish Cockpit: An Eye-Witness Account of the Political and Social Conflicts of the Spanish Civil War by Franz Borkenau
The Spanish Holocaust: Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth-Century Spain by Paul Preston
Spanish Leaves by Honor Tracy
“A Spanish Rose for Beatrice. Madrid Applauds U.S. Ambassador’s Popular Daughter on Her Debut,” LIFE, July 9, 1956
“Spanish Village. A Photo Essay” by Eugene Smith, LIFE, April 9, 1951
“Spain’s First ‘Re-Branding Effort’ in the Postwar Franco Era” by Neal M. Rosendorf
“Spain’s Stolen Babies,” This World—BBC documentary, October 18, 2011
“Spain’s ‘Stolen Babies’ Attempt to Blow Lid Off Scandal” by Giles Tremlett, The Guardian, January 5, 2012
“Spain’s Stolen-Babies Scandal: Empty Graves and a Silent Nun” by Lisa Abend, Time, April 13, 2012
Stolen Babies in Spain: Human Rights Abuses and Post-Transitional Justice by Kimberly Josephson
“Stolen Babies Scandal Haunts Spain” by Atika Shubert, CNN, April 26, 2012
“The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear” by the Brothers Grimm
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Texas Rich: The Hunt Dynasty from the Early Oil Days Through the Silver Crash by Harry Hurt III
The Time of the Doves by Mercè Rodoreda
Transition in Spain: From Franco to Democracy by Víctor Alba
“The Untold Story of the Texaco Oil Tycoon Who Loved Fascism” by Adam Hochschild, The Nation
Vallecas: Fotos Antiguas by Sixto Rodríguez Leal
Wind in the Olive Trees: Spain from the Inside by Abel Plenn
Writers in Arms: The Literary Impact of the Spanish Civil War by Frederick R. Benson
A Young Mother in Franco’s Prisons: Señora Pilar Fidalgo’s Story by Pilar Fidalgo
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am amazed by writers who create and succeed on their own. I am not one of them.
My incredible agent, Steven Malk, guides my steps. I could not dream of a better mentor and friend. Kacie Wheeler manages my days and does so with incredible love and care. She is the epitome of grace.
Liza Kaplan, my brilliant and tireless editor, devoted years to this novel and the associated journey. Liza’s talent, creativity, and inspiration keep me going. I am so grateful to Michael Green, who believed in me from the very start. Heartfelt thanks to Ken Wright, Jill Santopolo, Talia Benamy, Shanta Newlin, Kim Ryan, Jen Loja, Felicia Frazier, Emily Romero, Erin Berger, Carmela Iaria, Trevor Ingerson, Theresa Evangelista, Ellice Lee, and my Philomel family for giving history a voice and my stories a home.
None of this would be possible without the beautiful people at Philomel, Penguin Young Readers Group, all of the Penguin field reps, Penguin Subsidiary Rights, Writers House, UTA, Penguin Audio, Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau, and SCBWI. Sincere gratitude to my wonderful foreign publishers, sub-agents, and translators for sharing my words with the world.
The hands and heart of Court Stevens have touched every page of this novel. Together we walked hundreds of miles (literally) discussing story, history, and memory.
My writing group sees everything first: Sh
aron Cameron, Amy Eytchison, Howard Shirley, and Angelika Stegmann. Thank you for over a decade of dedication and friendship. I couldn’t do it without you and would never want to.
Pam Aanenson, Ruta Allen, Genetta Adair, the Baysons, Mike Cortese, the Faber boys, Brian Geffen, Beth Kephart, the Lithuanian community, Hannah Mann, Marius Markevicius, Andrea Morrison, the Myers, Niels Bye Nielsen, the Peales, Claus Pedersen, the Reids, Jason Richman, the Rockets, Emmett Russell, JW Scott, Yvonne Seivertson, the Sepetys family, the Smiths, team Schefsky, Mary Tucker, and Steve Vai all contribute to my writing efforts.
Deepest gratitude to my biggest supporters: the teachers, librarians, and booksellers. And most of all—the readers. I appreciate each and every one of you.
Mom and Dad taught me to dream big and love even bigger.
John and Kristina are my heroes and the best friends a little sis could ask for.
And Michael, whose love gives me the courage and the wings. He is my everything.
GLOSSARY
Adelante
Come in (when used at an entry)
¿Ah, sí?
Oh yeah?
¡Ahí no!
Not there!
Alternativa
Graduation ceremony from amateur bullfighter to matador
Americano
American
Amigo
Friend
El Auxilio Social
Spain’s social aid organization during Franco’s dictatorship
Ave María Purísima
The Virgin Mary
¡Ay, no! ¡Ay, no!
Oh no, oh no
“¡Ay, por favor! No me vengas con tonterías.
Oh please. Give me a break.
Basta
Enough
El bebé
The baby
Bien hecho
Well done/Good job
Bienvenido
Welcome
El Bosco
Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch
Botones
Buttons/Bellboy
Braceros
Manual laborers
Bueno
Good